I still say the MAP sensor that's exactly what my car did last December, i could start it anytime I wanted just idles rough and dies DSC and SES lights on even though I was long out of warranty MINI roadside came and got it, Bill the master mechanic at Habberstad diagnose the problem a defective MAP sensor.
Good luck with the repair, if your local mechanic does not solve it with a coil pack get your car to a dealer or tuner that has the correct diag machine

 

^^ Rescued my car from the shop.

This afternoon I took Partsman's coil pack to the garage and had him switch it out. He swapped it several times but to the same end; that is, with the new coil pack, the car wouldn't turn over at all. With the old one, it would turn over and run horrifically. Mechanic still thought it was the coil pack and wanted me to buy a new one.

So, I sprung Ollie from da joint and Partsman poked around -- installed his coil pack and it worked this time... but no better than my own. Upon disconnecting/reconnecting the MAP sensor, I was allowed about 1 blissful minute of normally running car before it crapped out again at a stop sign.

At least Ollie is home and safe (not being gratuitously over-cranked in some guys garage).

If it is the MAP sensor that is causing the problem, pray tell, how light will my wallet be when all is said and done?

 

MAP sensor cost about $50, thats what I paid in December

 

Hey $50 bucks isn't bad....

The map sensor mounts on the intake manifold above the upper radiator hose and just below the Intercooler.
If the location is correct, changing it will be a piece of cake for you to do yourself.
good luck.


.....just remembered that you might be able to clean the map sensor too.
They get crudded up and sometimes a cleaning is all it takes.

 

$50 sounds... pretty much fantastic.

 

OmToast - sorry to hear of your troubles... that really sucks, and I hope everything is 100% again soon.

I just wanted to add to the conversation about AAA membership, and suggest that people out of warranty on their MINI consider signing up for AAA Plus instead of just basic AAA. Sure, it costs a bit extra ($37 more per year over basic coverage), but the biggest benefit is a 100 mile tow instead of just 3 miles with the regular AAA. That extra 97 miles REALLY comes in handy if you want to take it to a particular shop. Of course there are other benefits too, such as 2 gallons of free gas if you get stranded (they charge you for the gas with basic), and $100 of locksmith coverage instead of $50.

I've had AAA Plus for years, and even when I bought the MINI, I continued to renew it... both because I kept my old vehicle (a 95 Mustang GT), and because it indeed has come in handy on the occasion that I'm in a friends car and they break down.

 

Officially a AAA Plus member, as of Wednesday

 

hows everything else coming along?

 

Don't know anything yet...

I spoke with my uncle, who owns a repair shop (500 miles from me) and piqued his interest, as well. He suggested I pull the plugs and check them out, which I will do this evening.

Other than that, if no further solutions are found I will use my new AAA membership to tow my car to the dealership.

I also have a huge dent in the bonnet, just above the grill. I think the tree next to my driveway dropped 1/2 of itself on my car. Bah! Not a good 2 weeks for my car!

 

Karma works both ways good days will soon be back. Plugs is a good idea, seems almost so simple to check that is was overlooked.

 

Yeah... the mechanic from which we rescued my car seemed less than thorough. At no point while talking to him did he mention doing anything other than reading the codes and assuming it was the coil pack (which we now know it wasn't). Even when Partsman's coil pack didn't work at all (when the mechanic swapped them -- ???) he perservered in his belief and wanted me to buy a new one.

 

Well as long as he was fitting any PT cruiser parts...
He didn't over charge you too badly right?
One thing to keep an eye out for in the future, is codes are not the mystical answers they are often made out to be but instead are a means of localizing a problem. The reason everybody asked what the code was is so we have an idea of where to start the troubleshooting, it sounds to me like he was just trying to play you.

 

He charged me 2 hours diagnostic labor -- $140.

 

thats $10 cheaper an hour than the dealer but pulling a code takes about 2 min. but if he did the coil pack swaps for you that sound reasonable.

 

hehehe... I know!

He did the coil pack swaps while I stood there and waited all of 15 minutes for him to swap 3 times. So now we're up to 17 minutes...

I didn't complain because I know that Joaquin talked to him several times, and he also claims to have called around to people trying to find out if there were any common issues that could be causing my woes. I figure I'll be generous and count all that in his diagnostic time, as well as trust that he did actually call around.

In any event, it got to that point where it was more important for me to get my car outta there and into the hands of someone who knows something about them than it was for me to argue the charge. I'm a horrible consumer, but I blame it on reaching the Zenith of Apathy :impatient

 

I did notice when changing the coil that 3 of the 4 plug boots weren't pushed all the way on the plugs. I'm not sure if it was like that before toast brought it to the garage, but the plugs may be fouled by not getting the full jolt.

 

HA!

(if that's the case: oopsie -- sorry Ollie )

 

A new day, A new weirdness...

Leif pulled the plugs: 1 and 4 are completely black, 2 and 3 are basically black, but have a good deal of brown visible.

Exhaust is maybe pushing more air than normal...? It seems like it is, anyway, and it smells rich.

My poor car

 

Black plugs indicates a rich running engine.

Have you checked the Map Sensor yet?

 

Nope -- car is still lounging at my house for the time being...

 

If the MAP sensor was actingup and the ECU thoguht there was more air, then dumped more gas in kinda pseudo flooded the engine maybe??

 

But why would 2 cylinders be affected more than the other 2? Granted, they all had black on them, but 1 and 4 were nothing but black, while 2 and 3 were some black, but more brown...

If it were flooding, wouldn't all plugs look the same?

 

Good Question, I'll get back to you.

 

Which MAP sensor would you go after if there's no code...?
This one(#9)...

or this one (#12)...

 

^^ If there was a MAP sensor malfunction, would there not be a fault code generated (such as a P0105 - P0109)? Also, if one or both of the MAP sensors were not functioning appropriately, wouldn't it affect all 4 of the cylinders? Judging from looking at the spark plugs in OmToast's car, it seems only cylinders 1 and 4 have a problem...